Machine for patching shipping tags, etc.



',NOV. 13, 1928.

l... A. MACLEAN Y MACHINE 90R PATCHING SHIPPING TAGS, ETC

Filed Oct. 24, 1927 Patented Nov. 13,, 1928.

u ire rare tries.

LEONARD A. MAGLEAN, 0F. READING, MASSACHUSETTS MACHINE FOR IPATOHI'NG SHIPPING TAGS, ETC.

Application filed October 24, 1927. Serial-No. 228,154.

This invention relates to a' machine for ed also with punched holes, and therefore.

. annular, and applied to opposite sides of the body with their holes registering with the hole in the body, the patches being adhesively secured to the body.

The object of the invention is to provide I a simple machine, easily operable by the muscular power of the operator, and suitable for usein job printing ofices, in the production of patched or reinforced tags and other articles, when the number required to fill an order is so small. as not to warrant the employmentiof a bulky, complicated and expensive tag machine, such as is usually employed to automatically perform the operation of making patched or reinforced tags.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a patching'machine adaptedfor use with a flexible patch strip which is fedendwise step by step by a feeding element of the machine, and includes a plurality of patches partially prepared, by the operation of malt.- ing the strip, for'application to a tag or other body, the patches being so nearly completed 7 7 during the manufacture of the patch stripthat they are easily detachable from the strip by the machine, and preparatory to being. attached by the machine to tag bodies presentedto the machine by the operator.

Of the accompanying drawings part of'this specification,'

Figure '1 is a side view, showingelements of a machine embodying the invention, without the patch strips hereinafter described.

Figure 2 is a sectional view, on the plane forming a I indicated by line 22 of Figure '1.

Figure 3 showsin perspective a portion ofone of the patch strips.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 3, and and showing a modification. I

Figure 4 shows in" perspective a patch detachedfrom a-patch strip by the operation ofthe machine;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspectiveview, showing portions of the machine and por-' tions of two patch strips.

Figures 6 and 7 are-fragmentary sectional views on the plane indicated by line 22 of Figure 1, showing portions of a tag body and portions of two patch strips, and illustrating pressing face thereof, and adapted'to sever the operation of detaching patches'fromi the strips and applying them to the body.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary perspective view, showinga portion of the tag body and the llaody conditioning rolls shown by Fig ure Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective View, showing a modification.

Figure lOis a side view, showing a portion of a tag body. v

Figure 11 is a side view of the tag as completed by the machine.

Figure 12 is an enlarged section on'line 1212 of Figure 11'.

same parts in all ofthe figures.

In the drawings, 15 designates a fixed punching die, and 16' a moveable punching; die, said dies being the usual male and fe maladies,v adapted to punch a hole-18 (Fig ure 12) in the body 17 of a tag, or other article of sheet material, such as a show card, intended to be hung ona stud projectingform a vertical wall. The fixed die 15 iSattached toa base 19, forming a part of'the frame of the machine, and attached, in' this instance, to a'bench or table 20. 'The'm0vable die 16 is attached to areciprocating plunger 21', movable in fixed guides 22, con stituting parts of the Theupper end' ofthe fixed die, and the lower end of the plunger constituteopposed' pressing faces,

adapted'to press the patches hereinafter dee scribed against opposite sides of the body1-7 the-pressing face of the-plunger being-formed patches from the above-mentioned patch strips, as described later. punching dies is a body-l0cating pocket-25,. best shown by Figure 1,in which a body 17 is insertible by hand. in this instance, the sides of the pocket 1 are formed by fixed spaced apart plates .26 and 27 (Figure- 1). The plate-'27 is fixed to supports 29 on the" frame and is provided with elongated staple shaped members 28, constituting, with-the plate, an upper guide for oneof the patchh strips: The plate 26 and another plate 31 spaced therefrom, are fixed to a standard 30 i r (Figure 1) attached to the base, saidplates being connected at opposite edges and con-f stituting' a lower guide for the other patch .70 The same reference characters indicate the Between the strip. The several plates are apertured, as

. shown by Figure 2, to permit the pressing face of the plunger to pass through'the plates when the plunger is projected downwardly,

as indicated by Figure 7 32 designates a feed member, which is preferably a roll, fixed to a shaft 33, journaled in bearings in standards 34, fixed to the base, or to the bench 20, and adapted to be rotated step by step by means hereinafter described.

The machine is adapted for use with a patch strip 36, and in preferred embodiment of the invention, with'two of said strips, each separably engageable with the feed member 32, and movable step by step thereby in the upper and lower guides above described, the strips constituting a renewable element of the machine. Each strip may be of indeterminate length and is preferably composed of kraft, or other suitably tough paper, from which tag patches are usually made, and is provided with a row of patches 37, partially detachedfrom the strip by substantially circular incisions 38, extending through the thickness of the strip, the ends of the incisions being at opposite sides of a narrow neck 39, connecting the patch with the strip, and

adapted to be severed by the plunger knife 23, to form the patchshown by Figure 4. The incisions form the major portions of the margin of the patch, and said margin is com- .pleted by the severing action of the knife.

1 Each patch strip is provided with holes 40, adapted to be engaged by radial pins 41, on the feed'member' 32, as shown by Figure 5. The machine comprises operating mechanism including means for reciprocating the plunger, and means for moving the feed member step by step, in timed relation with the movements of the plunger to advance the patch strips step by step in their guides, and cause registration of the partially severed patches with the pressing faces so that when the plunger is projected, the cutter29 severs the necks 39in the patch strips.

- The plunger-reciprocating means includes,

- in this instance, a spring 42 normally raising orretracting the plunger, a lever 43, fulcrumed at '44 (Figure 1) to an car on the' frame, and bearing on the upper end of the plunger, and a rod 144 connected with one end of the lever and extending downwardly to a treadle (not shown), whereby the rod may be depressed to project the plunger.

The means for moving the feed member step by step includes, in this instance, an arm 45 (Figure 2) fixed to the rod 144, a lever 46,

fulcrumed at 47 to a fixed ear 48, a rod 49,

' connecting the lever with the arm 45, a lever 50, fixed to the shaft 33, of the feed member, a link 51, connecting the levers 46 and 50, and

, a pawl 52, pivoted to the lever 50, and engaging a ratchet 53, fixed to theshaft 33. I The step-by-step rotation of the feed member caused by movements of the plunger, is

the body by the pressing faces of the plunger" and the hired die. lVhen the plunger is retracted, the patch strips, are advanced one step to bring other patches into position to be detached and pressed against the next body 17 inserted in the pocket The patch strips 36 are prepared by mechanism provided for that purpose (not shown herein) including means for cutting the incisions 38 and holes 40, and leaving'the necks 39. Said mechanism preferably includes also means for punching holes 55 (Figure'3) in the patch strips, said holes registering with. V

the movable punching die 16, as indicated ,by' Figure 6, so that the duty of cutting the holes in the patches is not imposed on said die, the power required to operate the machine being reduced to a minimum.

I do not limit myself,-however, to the patch strips having the holes 55, and may omit said holes, as indicated by Figure 3*, in which case the die 16 will punch both the patches and the body 17.

Adhesion of the severed patches to the body 17 may be causedby any suitable means. The sides of the patch strip contacting with the body, may have dried gum coatings, and the portions of the body 17 with which the 7 patches contact, may be moistened by the operator before the body is inserted in'the pocket. To this end the machine may be provided with a pair of moistening rolls 57, one in fixed bearings, and the other spring pressed, the rolls having absorbent surfaces of felt or the like. The"operator'may apply water from time, to time to'the rolls. The operator partly inserts the body 17 in the nip of the rolls and then withdraws it before inserting it in the pocket, thereby moistening the portions of the sides of the body with which the'gummed patches subsequently contact.

. If desired, a liquid adhesive may be similarly applied to the rolls and by therolls to the body 17 the gum coatings of;the'patch strips being omitted. As shown by Figure 9, the plunger cutter 29 may bereduced in length, so that it will sever only the necks 39- of the upper patch strip, and the fixed die 15 may be provided with'an-upwardly facing cutter 29 adapted to sever only the necks39 of the lower patch strip. g It is obvious that if only one H I sired on each body 17, one of the patch strips patch is de 7 i may be omitted, hence I do not limit myself to the conjoint use of two carrying strips,

although this is preferable, especially in atag machine.

The plunger enlargement 21 is provided with a stripper 60, which is movable relative to the enlargement and is pressed downward by a spring 61, as shown by Figures 1, 2 and 6, when the plunger is raised, the stripper bearing on the lower end of the enlargement when the plunger is projected, as shown by Figure 7. When the plunger rises the stripper is forced downward by its spring and strips a tag and its patches from the die 16. The stripper is a flat annular plate surrounding the die 16, and constitutes the pressing face of the plunger, when the latter is in the position shown by Figure 7.

The patch strip herein described is claimed in my divisional application entitled Patch strips for a tag-patching machine, filed May 5, 1928, Serial No. 275,382.

I claim:

A patching machine comprising in combination, a pair of punching dies, one fixed and the other movable, adapted to cut a hole in a body of sheet material, a reciprocating plunger guided in a predetermined pat-h and carrying the movable die, said fixed die and plunger having opposed r pressing faces, a body-locating pocket between the dies, strip guiding means beside the pocket including an upper guide located at one side of the pocket and adapted to guide an upper patch strip and a lower guide located at the opposite side of the pocket and adapted to guide a lower patch strip, a feed member for engaging flexible patch strips, and operating mechanism including means for reciprocating the plunger, and means for movin the feed member step by step, in timed relation with the movements of the plunger, to advance the patch strips step by step in the guiding means and cause registration of a patch in eachstrip with the punching dies, the arrangement being such that when the patch strips are en-' gaged with the feed means and inserted in the guiding means anda body is inserted in the pocket said mechanism causes the punching of the body by the dies, the separation of a patch from each patch strip and pressure of the separated patches against the body by the pressing faces, means being provided for causing the separated patches to adhere to the body.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. 7 v

' LEONARD A. MACLEAN. 

